


Better Than Death Star Waffles

by WhimsicalRealist



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 18:06:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11742342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhimsicalRealist/pseuds/WhimsicalRealist
Summary: After living with Hux and Phasma for two years, Ren has finally begun to look forward to his birthdays again.But this one in particular finds him with a very special gift.





	Better Than Death Star Waffles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aanaya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aanaya/gifts).



“Happy birthday, Ben, we miss you.”

 

“Miss you too, mom.”

 

“Any big plans?”

 

“Not really. I think Phas is gonna make dinner and we’re gonna watch some of the Star Wars movies.”

 

“That sounds nice...oh, did you get our card?” Leia asked, smiling to herself a touch. That had always been her son’s request for his birthday: dinner and Star Wars. It was good that his new...partners---she still wasn’t quite certain of the nature of the trio’s relationship, honestly---had adopted the tradition.

 

“You mean _your_ card? Yeah,” Ren murmured, glancing to one of several cards he had on his nightstand. “It’s next to Rey’s, she sent one that plays the Imperial March, so I gotta be careful not to knock it over in the middle of the night.”

 

It never ceased to amaze him that his family and friends all seemed to be able to find entirely different Star Wars cards for him every year, be it for his birthday or for Christmas. He had a shoebox full of them tucked away in his closet, years worth of well-wishes that he would dig through on the bad days. But the ones toward the bottom he had a tendency to avoid, as they were far more bittersweet and would often only worsen his mood.

 

“Has your father given you a call yet?” Leia carefully inquired, frowning as a pause followed.

 

“No, uh, not that I’ve noticed. Uncle Chewie sent me a text last night around midnight, though,” Ren finally replied, trying to sound a bit optimistic if only for his mother’s sake. “They’re probably still asleep, you know how it is when they’re doing those long runs.”

 

“That’s hardly an excuse,” she snorted, heart aching to hear the familiar resignation in her son’s voice. “I should call him and give him a piece of my---”

 

“Hey, no, mom, it’s alright,” Ren interjected with an awkward smile. “He’ll call whenever he wakes up, it’s no big deal. Honest. I’m used to it.”

 

“You shouldn’t _have_ to be, Ben…”

 

“You two are busy adults, mom, I get it. So am I most days. It’s not like I had invited him to a party we were having and he didn’t show…”

 

“Ben…”

 

“Which he did when I was a kid. So really, I know not to expect much,” he concluded, getting up from the edge of his bed with a sigh. “Hey, but it was good to hear from you. We should talk more this weekend. I gotta run for now, though, dinner’s gonna be ready soon.”

 

“Okay, Ben, I hope you have a good evening,” sighed his mother, knowing it was best not to press the issue. “Give Phas and Hux my love and thank them for taking good care of you for me.”

 

“Yeah, I will. Love you, talk to you this weekend.”

 

“Love you too, Ben. Bye.”

 

Ending the call, he stared at the phone for a long moment before setting it aside, startling faintly at a knock to the door at the top of the stairs. It was nice living in the basement, but sometimes the acoustics could throw him for a loop if he wasn’t expecting them.

 

“Yeah?” he called, padding across the carpeted floor to the base of the stairs.

 

The door opened slightly and a familiar, freckled face peered down at him from the gap.

 

“Are you going to hide down there all day, Ren?” Hux asked with a small smirk. “Phas is making your favorite, would be a shame if you didn’t come have some.”

 

“I was just on my way up, gingersnap, no need to be rude,” he snorted, returning the smirk with one of his own.

 

Opening the door the rest of the way, Hux stood off to one side with his arms crossed over his chest. It was a rare treat to see the lawyer looking relaxed, dressed down in a tank top and lounge pants, feet bare on the hardwood floor and his hair combed but left untreated with his usual fancy pomades. Even more touching, Ren had found out the week previous that the older man had actually scheduled himself to be off specifically for his birthday, though Hux had tried to write it off as not being a big deal.

 

Little gestures like that, however, meant more to him that he could ever express. For so long, Ren had come to hate his birthday, if only because it stood as a reminder of all the broken promises and unanswered wishes of his childhood. Parties were hollow activities filled with guests he barely knew, relatives he rarely saw any other time, and no matter how many times he asked for the same thing when he blew out his candles, nothing ever changed. His mom was busy in the cutthroat political landscape as a senator and his father was practically always out on the road in his truck with Ren’s Uncle Chewie, making some sort of delivery. A week or two after the fact, Han would be back with a token from some far-off state and a gas station card, but it never made up for the empty assurances that he would be there for next year’s party for sure.

 

So at first, Ren hadn’t even wanted Hux or Phasma to know when his birthday was. That, of course, hadn’t lasted long, thanks to his friends spilling the beans when Hux had pressed them for the information. He should have known better, they more or less considered the Irish transplant to be one of the gang and would give him anything he wanted, especially if it was for their leader. It had taken some getting used to, but he actually looked forward to the day now, knowing that it meant a comfortable day at home, a delicious dinner, a homemade cake---the first one had been the most shocking thing he’d received because he hadn’t known at the time that Hux even _liked_ sweets, let alone was a pretty decent baker himself---and a night of watching his favorite movies while being gently teased about them. The pair hadn’t tried to dump an extravagant party on him, nor did any of what they did seem forced, and those were some of the best gifts he could ever recall getting.

 

Well, that, and last year Phas had managed to get him a Death Star waffle iron and he nearly cried.

 

Joining Hux in the hallway, Ren turned to head toward the kitchen but stopped when the other man nabbed him by the shoulders and, instead, steered him toward the living room.

 

“What are you--?” he mumbled, glancing over with a confused expression.

 

“Everything’s set for dinner, so we’re just waiting for it to finish up in the oven,” Hux explained simply, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “So while that’s going, we’re doing presents.”

 

“Do we _have_ to?” Ren groaned, earning an honest laugh from the man guiding him along by the shoulders.

 

“Trust me, you’ll like it,” he assured the birthday boy, giving the back of his neck a gentle kiss.

 

Blushing faintly at the gesture, Ren let himself be steered into the livingroom and sat down on the couch when Hux finally let go and motioned toward it. Something was up, that was for sure, but he couldn’t tell what they had planned for him this time.

 

“Close your eyes,” Hux instructed, waiting patiently until the other man had complied.

 

“You’re not gonna do something weird, are you?” Ren asked, peeking an eye open with a nervous sort of grin.

 

“No, now stop that,” the ginger tutted with a roll of his eyes, making sure the other wasn’t looking before stepping away briefly.

 

“If you peek, we’ll take it back,” Ren heard Phas warn from somewhere behind him, trying to listen closely to what they were doing. “And I’ll eat your entire cake myself.”

 

“I’d be more impressed than disappointed if you did,” Ren laughed, perking as he heard a metallic sort of ‘click’ of a latch after Hux returned---he knew each of their footfalls after living in the lower level for just over two years---and set something down.

 

Odder still was a tiny jingling, a little bell of some sort? Ren knit his brows as he tried to make heads or tails of it just by listening in, chest feeling a bit light and fluttery. Turning his head as Phas sat down to one side of him, he opened his mouth to ask what was going on when Hux filled the space at his other side and set something in his lap. Something warm and very much alive.

 

“Open your eyes,” he said with a smile, putting a hand on Ren’s shoulder.

 

Slowly, Ren opened his eyes and looked down. Presently padding around in a circle on his lap was a black Sphynx, a red collar around her neck that bore a heart-shaped name tag and a black bell. But what stood out the most to him was her finely-crafted red and black vest, the side of which was embroidered with the text: ‘Therapy Cat’.

 

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Hux began calmly as he watched Ren reach a hand out to gently touch the cat’s head. “And if it’s too much, or you aren’t ready, we _can_ take her back.”

 

“But if you _do_ want her, we took care of all the proper paperwork to have her registered,” Phas continued, smiling happily as the Sphynx pressed into Ren’s fingers and began to purr loudly. “You would just need to get a note from your doctor if you take her on a plane at some point, that’s all.”

 

“She has all the things she needs to set up in the house with,” the ginger added, leaning over to poke her nose, which caused her to lick at him with a meow. “Litter boxes, food, bowls, toys, scratching towers, the whole mess.”

 

“Millie even likes her,” Phas chuckled. “So the only one that needs to give their blessing is you, Ren.”

 

He had gone silent as he looked down at the cat in his lap, trying to find words for all the things he was feeling, but falling short. Tears had started to well in his eyes as the extravagance of this gift began to set in, knowing that they had gone through so much trouble and planning for this moment, for him.

 

“What’s...her name?” he finally managed to ask hoarsely as she settled into a ball and closed her eyes, his hand stroking shakily over her back.

 

“Padmé,” Hux supplied, resting his head on Ren’s shoulder while Phas brushed a lock of stray hair from his face.

  


“Hux’s idea,” she hummed with a bemused smile.

 

Wiping at his eyes with his free hand, Ren gave a wet laugh and smiled brightly. He had been in love with her the moment he had opened his eyes, but knowing that they pair had named her Padmé for him, it was all it took to seal the deal.

 

“I don’t know what to say,” he murmured quietly, hardly able to look away as he watched her doze off contentedly in his lap. “You really didn’t need to do this for me.”

 

“We wanted to, Ren,” Phas snorted, kissing his temple before rising from the couch. “Want to eat in here? She seems happy right where she is, I’d hate to make you move.”

 

“You’re gonna let me eat actual messy food in the living room?” Ren asked, looking to Hux as he did with a raised brow.

 

“I suppose it _is_ your birthday, after all,” he sighed, trying to seem put upon but failing miserably, clearly pleased that Ren liked the surprise. “Rules can be bent on special occasions. But if you _do_ spill something, don’t think for a second I won’t make you clean it up yourself, birthday or not.”

 

“Alright,” laughed the younger man, looking back to Padmé as Hux got up to join Phas in the kitchen, smiling as pale fingers ran through his hair in passing. “Thank you. Both of you. This is the best thing anyone has ever given me.”

 

“Better than the Death Star waffle maker?” Phas called from the kitchen.

 

“Better than the Death Star waffle maker,” he agreed.

  


Yeah, Ren supposed that if birthdays were going to be like this from here on out, he believed he could genuinely enjoy them again. Guess some of those wishes just took longer to come true than expected...


End file.
